One day our teenage son came home from high school and I could tell something was wrong. Although all three of our boys typically came home from school tired, this particular day this son was acting a little off. “How was your day?” I asked (and in all fairness, I knew the answer would be “fine” but just wanted him to know I was checking in). “Eh…” was his response, which seemed to mean there was something he wanted to say but did not really want to discuss. Our sons, being raised by psychologists, know that we are always available to talk.
Great advice here. As a mother with two boys, nineteen and eighteen, these strategies have worked for me while they were growing up. It can be frustrating mothering (parenting) boys when all you want is the best for them.
So much smart advice here! I could tell yesterday that something is definitely going on/on the mind of one of my sons, but he declined an invitation to talk & then pretty deliberately avoided interactions the rest of the evening. This son *does come to me & talk to me when needed, but it was still reassuring the read, "if your teenage son is not giving you information it is likely because he is trying to figure things out on his own. "
Also, on a funny note: This same son (who's now 20), stopped by my home office the other night as I was working and said, "I just want to give you a heads up." My mind jumped to all sorts of big things: He's quitting him job. He's proposing to his GF. (The next day was Valentine's Day). You know what it *actually was? "I'm going to make popcorn. It wasn't the your dinner wasn't good -- it was, & I appreciate you making it. I'm just craving popcorn." :)
This made me laugh because last night I did the same thing. When our 15 yr old said, "Can I talk to you?" I was mentally prepared for the worst possible anything. Course selection for next year. He wanted to talk about course selection for next year... ha! So I am always trying to work on it still.
Great advice here. As a mother with two boys, nineteen and eighteen, these strategies have worked for me while they were growing up. It can be frustrating mothering (parenting) boys when all you want is the best for them.
So much smart advice here! I could tell yesterday that something is definitely going on/on the mind of one of my sons, but he declined an invitation to talk & then pretty deliberately avoided interactions the rest of the evening. This son *does come to me & talk to me when needed, but it was still reassuring the read, "if your teenage son is not giving you information it is likely because he is trying to figure things out on his own. "
Also, on a funny note: This same son (who's now 20), stopped by my home office the other night as I was working and said, "I just want to give you a heads up." My mind jumped to all sorts of big things: He's quitting him job. He's proposing to his GF. (The next day was Valentine's Day). You know what it *actually was? "I'm going to make popcorn. It wasn't the your dinner wasn't good -- it was, & I appreciate you making it. I'm just craving popcorn." :)
So yeah -- don't jump to conclusions!
This made me laugh because last night I did the same thing. When our 15 yr old said, "Can I talk to you?" I was mentally prepared for the worst possible anything. Course selection for next year. He wanted to talk about course selection for next year... ha! So I am always trying to work on it still.